Rich Cronin, Star of '90s Boy Band LFO, Dead at 35

Singer behind '99's "Summer Girls" had leukemia

Receive the latest celebrity updates in your inbox

(NO TABLOIDS) Rich Cronin of LFO during ELLEGirl party to celebrate its "back-to-school" debut issue at the The Roxy in New York City, New York. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Updated at 8:30 AM EDT on Thursday, Sep 9, 2010

Rich Cronin, who sang such hits as "Summer Girls" as the leader of boy band LFO, died Wednesday of leukemia. He was 35.

The singer lost his long battle with cancer Wednesday afternoon after suffering a stroke. Cronin was first diagnosed with myelogenous leukemia in 2005.

In Memoriam

"On behalf of the Cronin family and all at the Hope Foundation and [his record label] Orange Freeze, thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts. Continue to post them as a tribute to a great man, a better artist and the best friend I could ever have," Cronin's manager, Melissa Holland, confirmed in a statement on the singer's Facebook page.

The Boston native shot to fame in the late '90s as the frontman of LFO alongside bandmembers Brad Fischetti and Devin Lima, Managed by Lou Pearlman, who also guided the early careers of 'NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. Their first album also yielded the hit "Girl on TV," which featured Cronin's reported flame Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Rampaging Rockers and Mad Musicians

However, Cronin later slammed Pearlman, accusing him of swindling the group out of millions of dollars and publishing rights and maintaining inappropriate relationships with other artists he managed. "I've had to go to therapy ... he's really a creepy guy," Cronin said in 2009.